The Alternative Motor Vehicle credit (30b) that can be used to get a tax credit for purchasing one of our diesel SUVs has been improved by the stimulus bill. You can now claim the full credit amount regardless of your personal tax situation and income. This change applies to BlueTEC SUVs purchased after January 1st, 2009.

Important notes on the tax credit:Must be purchased, not leasedThe credit is claimed on your Income Tax Returns, not at time of saleThe upcoming ML450 and S400 hybrids will qualify for the same program, amounts to be determined. Toyota/Lexus are no longer eligible for these credits2009 ML320 BlueTEC qualifies for $900 credit2009 GL320 BlueTEC qualifies for $1800 credit2009 R320 BlueTEC qualifies for $1550 credit

The power liftgate has been a very popular feature on the ML, R and GL. Previously the liftgate had two settings – open fully, or the “limited” position that stopped it only a little bit open. The “limited” position did stop the liftgate from hitting cargo on the roof of the vehicle but made it difficult to access things in the cargo area.

You can now program the power liftgate to stop at any height you choose! This would be very useful for people who can’t reach the button on the liftgate itself when it is in the fully open position and for people with a lower ceiling in the garage. I know that if I have my garage door up and open the liftgate it will hit the door. This will solve that problem. All you have to do is open the liftgate to the height you like, hold down the button on the liftgate until you hear a chime and let go. From now on the liftgate will open to your custom height! To go back to the fully open setting, hold the power liftgate button down until the chime sounds twice. Very easy…and very useful!

Now that the 2009 vehicles have arrived, I have had a chance to spend some time with each of them and I have noticed some of the quirks that show up every year. These are little changes that aren’t really announced but can be a bit of a shock to those of us to take the accessories very seriously.

My Biggest Loss – The US has a new law that requires all window roll UP functions to be controlled by a button that you have to hold in the UP position. So, that means that tunnel mode, where you hold DOWN the recirculate button and all of the windows close, is out. So is remote roll up, where you hold the lock button on the key DOWN, to roll up all the windows at once. This was a very convenient function on the lot when I am in and out of cars all day, trying to keep them cool. However, it is being slowly phased out so some cars still work this way and some don’t!

2009 ML, GL, R-Class

Love AC power plug in the rear cargo area! Part of the Premium 1 Package and a great addition!

The new Rear DVD system can now play 2 DVD’s at the same time – one can be loaded in the DVD slot in the front of the car and one in the backseat!

The 4 GB Music Register can store music that you have loaded onto the SD card or burned to a CD or DVD. It cannot store commercially purchased CDs. This is exactly opposite of the C-Class music register. Strange.

ML & GL have bigger mirrors for 2009. This had been a complaint on the previous years.

2009 C-Class

Compass in the rearview mirror is a nice addition. (Premium 1)

Memory seats are absolutely perfect!

Mocha/Almond interior is quite different from Savannah/Cashmere. I like that the Mocha/Almond is more neutral/less basketball colored. Very pretty!

Music Register is upped to 6 GB.

2009 S and CL-Class

Bluetooth adaptor can be ordered with the vehicle for $200 less than it can be purchased at the dealership.

2009 E-Class

No charge 321 Sport Package on the E350 Sport is an amazing value. Wheels, bumpers, shift paddles for $0! Last year it was more than $2000! I know because I bought one… Be sure to order the Pano roof. My car is a white sport package with the Pano roof and it’s hot!

New navigation system has Bluetooth built in. That’s another $525 savings.

Mercedes has just annouced that the 2009 BlueTEC SUVs will qualify for the federal Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit. This is the same tax credit that has been avaliable on most hybrid vehicles. One interesting thing is that because Toyota and Lexus have already sold their total of eligible vehicles none of their hybrids will qualify for this credit. Here are the details from Mercedes-Benz.

Any qualifying vehicle (MY09 BlueTEC GL, ML & R- Class) must be purchased – Leased vehicles will not qualify for the credit.

Credit is not realized at retail purchase, but must be applied for individually by the customer, and claimed on their Income Tax Return (1040). Each respective customer should contact their individual tax advisor for more details.

Unfortunately, the 40 state MY09 E320 BlueTEC does not qualify for this credit.

Maximum tax credit amounts: — 2009 ML320 BlueTEC: $900 — 2009 R320 BlueTec: $1,550 — 2009 GL320 BlueTEC: $1,800 — Please note: amount is based on a somewhat complicated formula, and since the ML is the lightest of the three vehicles, it is held to a higher standard for fuel economy improvement, but has the smallest improvement of the three vehicles. Therefore the maximum is relatively lower vs. the GL & R- Classes.

The credit begins to phase out via a rather complicated tiered structure once the manufacturer sells 60,000 eligible vehicles, (hybrids/diesels) and is then subsequently eliminated.

Toyota /Lexus already reached the maximum number of hybrids sold in October 2007, so anyone purchasing a Toyota or Lexus hybrid is no longer eligible for the above mentioned tax credit.

Better fuel economy and a tax credit! Seems like a no-brainer.

The 2009 MSRP’s have just been released! If you combine these numbers with the options pricing, you’ll know how much a 2009 will cost. I don’t see any dramatic changes from the 2008 MSRP’s. If you are ready to place your order please do let me know!

The 2009 R350 is scheduled for release in late July. Much like the ML and GL, the R-Class is getting a lot of little upgrades that will make it a better value. My favorite upgrade on all of the 2009 SUVs is the new navigation unit!

Also, it looks like the R350 will now only be available as a 4Matic – the 2 wheel drive version has been dropped for 2009.

The previous iPod kit available for 2008 and older vehicles replaced the AUX jack in the glovebox. It could only connect to iPods or iPhones and the folders and songs were only displayed in the multifunction display in the insturment cluster.The newiPod/MP3 Media Interface Cable will replace the old system. This cable has plug-ins, for the iPod and for any MP3 Player! The display will now be on the Command (Navigation) screen and should be much easier to use. I saw it work on the 2009 SL. This will be part of the Premium 1 Package for all of the 2009 SUV’s, the SL’s and the CLS’s.

Besides seeing the 2009 SL for the first time today, our training included a lot of information about the 2009 ML320, GL320 and R320. For 2009 the CDI diesels that currently power these SUVs will be upgraded with BlueTEC emission systems similar to those in the current E320 BlueTEC. These vehicles will also be the first to use AdBlue to decrease emissions to levels that will allow them to be sold in all 50 states. (AdBlue isn’t expected on the E-class until its redesign is released around August of 2009.)

AdBlue is a fluid that when combined with the exhaust gases results in a dramatic decrease in emissions. While diesel engines are already more efficient than gas engines, getting about 30% better fuel economy, their sales have been limited by emission standards in many states. Georgia is not one of these states but as the number of states that restrict diesels has grown it was important to find a solution. Check out the video below to learn more about how the injection of AdBlue into the exhaust reduces emissions.

The addition of the AdBlue system will result in a few changes to these vehicles. The biggest change will be the tank to store the AdBlue fluid. To elminate interior modifications this tank will occupy the space currently used for the spare tire. As a result, all 2009 BlueTEC SUVs will be equipped with run-flat tires. The non-diesel SUVs will continue to have spare tires.

The tank for the AdBlue will be between 7 and 9 gallons. The tank will be topped off at the regular 10,000 mile service intervals and completely flushed and refilled about every third time. You will get a service indicator alert if your AdBlue tank reaches 25% capacity. Then, if your tank runs empty, you will have 20 starts to either visit the dealership or top off the AdBlue tank yourself. The AdBlue fluid is supposed to be available in 1 liter bottles at many retailers by the time that you’re ready to refill.

I would be happy to talk diesels if you have any questions or would like to pre-order. We expect these vehicles to be released for sale on October 1st, 2008. As with all pre-release information this is subject to change, and change without notice.

Rear Seat Entertainment systems are one of the most popular accessories available for our SUVs. The big complaints about the system available from Mercedes-Benz for the last few years have been the wired headphones and the single DVD slot located under the seats.

Well, they fixed it! The new systems, available in the ’09 models this summer, have a larger screen, a smaller housing, wireless headphones and 2 DVD slots! It will also have user control from the front seat and better gaming hookups.

Mercedes really does listen to the customer comments and I think they have made this new system exactly what we were hoping for!